Z-A's New DLC Mega Evolutions is a Sleeper Pick in Pokemon Champions

I have played Pokemon Legends: Z-A for almost 700 hours now, and while I didn’t love some parts of it, such as the lengthy tutorial and the tons of fist bumps throughout the story, I think it was an exceptional Pokemon game in terms of gameplay. Maybe this is a hot take, but I really liked Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s live battle system without turns, and even if it had its flaws, it was very enjoyable to build teams that could do well in the meta as well as use Pokemon that would never be viable in VGC. I also liked the story-based acquisition of Mega Stones, though limiting for teambuilding purposes.

When the Mega Dimension DLC came out, I was very excited to discover all the new Mega Evolutions in it, and I’m really happy about some of them. Mega Scovillain is possibly my favorite, or at least in the top three, but I love so many of them that I’d have a hard time picking my preferred ones overall. Mega Golurk is another that piqued my interest immediately, as soon as it was leaked as one of the new Mega Evolutions in Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s DLC, and the design was indeed amazing. Now, this Pokemon is available in Pokemon Champions, and it may be a very powerful pick in the current meta despite its very low usage rate.

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Why You Should Use Mega Golurk in Pokemon Champions

One of the reasons why Mega Golurk is so strong is that it has the Unseen Fist ability, which made Urshifu one of the best Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet with regards to competitive play. Previously, Unseen Fist would deal damage even through Protect at 100% rate, making it completely broken and making Protect much less reliable whenever Urshifu was on the field. Now, Pokemon Champions nerfed the ability to 25% of the damage going through Protect, which I think is a good way to balance it.

Even still, Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Mega Golurk makes very good use of Unseen Fist thanks to its incredibly high Attack stat and powerful moves. Mega Golurk’s stats in general are very good, with 89 HP, 159 Attack, 105 Defense, 70 Special Attack, 105 Special Defense, and 55 Speed. It has respectable bulk and one of the highest offensive stats in the game, all while getting Ursaluna’s signature move, Headlong Rush.

Why Mega Golurk is Not Used Frequently in Pokemon Champions

So, if Mega Golurk is so strong, it begs the question of why it’s so rare to see in Pokemon Champions. There are a few reasons for this:

Mega Golurk is extremely slow, meaning it has to be used in Trick Room teams in Pokemon Champions. However, these are typically harder to pilot than balance teams or weather teams, and the best Trick Room setter right now is Farigiraf. However, since this Pokemon is so common, most teams are prepared to counter it, and most players expect it to indeed use Trick Room.
Mega Golurk is a Ghost-type Pokemon, which is good on one hand because it’s immune to Fake Out, but it’s bad on the other due to the meta. Some of the best Pokemon in Pokemon Champions, Basculegion and Kingambit are everywhere, and the former’s Last Respects or the latter’s Sucker Punch and Kowtow Cleave can deal significant damage to Mega Golurk.
There are not many good Ghost-type moves to use on Mega Golurk, and so it has to rely on Poltergeist. However, in a Berry format, Poltergeist’s ability to only hit Pokemon who are holding an item can be a detriment.

Pros of Using Mega Golurk in Pokemon Champions Explained

Yet, Mega Golurk has a lot to offer. Typically used with Poltergeist, Headlong Rush, Ice Punch, and Protect, this Pokemon has incredible coverage and can dish out tons of damage. In Trick Room, it can be a menace against most teams in the format, and it can even be used on sun teams in Pokemon Champions by bringing along a Torkoal and maybe even a Chlorophyll Venusaur (or Mega Venusaur).

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While it is weak to Water, it can do very well against rain teams in Pokemon Champions because it can OHKO Basculegion with Poltergeist and deal significant damage to Archaludon with Headlong Rush, so pairing it with something to take care of Pelipper completely clears the field for Mega Golurk. Likewise, switching in a Torkoal to change the weather means that Pelipper’s Weather Ball no longer deals Water damage, and Archaludon can no longer use Electro Shot in one turn.

On top of that, since Mega Golurk can deal damage through Protect with Unseen Fist, it’s almost always in a position where attacking is a good option, and it reduces the chances of wasting turns of Trick Room if the opponent uses Protect on both their Pokemon. For all these reasons, Mega Golurk is actually a very strong contender for the best double battle teams in Pokemon Champions, and I think you should give it a try.